The Anonymous Dallas Cowboy

Alexander

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The Anonymous Dallas Cowboy
by Dave Halprin (Grizz) on Jul 16, 2009 1:36 PM CDT

Can we get some love for a guy who we always forget about? This player has been on the team since 2005 and is an integral part of every game. He does his job so well, almost to perfection, that we never even notice him. In fact, I've seen 53-man roster predictions that leave him off. It's not that hard to do since we almost never talk about him.

You got the player's identity figured out yet?

Most of you, I'm sure, got it; but it is amazing how anonymous L.P. Ladouceur is, even among Cowboys fans. Has this guy ever had a bad snap? I couldn't think of one, although somewhere along the way he must have. But that's just a testament to how close to perfection L.P. has been for the Cowboys since he joined in the 2005 season.

Who is L.P. Ladouceur?

Louis-Philippe Ladouceur (born March 13, 1981 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada) is a Canadian-born American football player. He played college football for the California Golden Bears, where he was a career backup defensive lineman (2000-2004) as well as their regular long snapper. In 2005, he went undrafted, and signed with the Dallas Cowboys as their long snapper.

After a brief stop with the Saints, he signed with the Cowboys.

Even on one of the most famous infamous plays in Cowboys recent history, the famed Bobble in Seattle, his aim was true.

Over at the mothership on his bio, they say this:

He has made clean snaps on 196 punts, 86 field goals, and 122 PATs in his career, including the playoffs.

I don't know, but that sounds like they're saying he's never had a bad snap. They don't say clean snaps on 196 out of 199 punts. Or 86 out of 87 field goals. Whatever, let's not quibble on details, but thank our lucky stars we have a long snapper who is as good as they come.

He's signed through 2013.

I did find one reference to a botched punt, but McBriar was to blame, because he said L.P. is too perfect. From a 2006 game:

The Cowboys' affable Australian, Mat McBriar, talked about the hit he took from Eagles linebacker Matt McCoy at the Cowboys' 17-yard line early in the first quarter. After letting the snap go through his hands, McBriar pounced on the ball.

He then sort of propped himself up before the hit, something he'll hopefully never try again. He blamed the drop on deep snapper L.P. Ladouceur's perfection.

"I'm used to him being so perfect that when it came in a little bit high, I was caught off guard," he said. "At some point, it sort of becomes second nature."

But, like any good Cowboys "star" L.P. is not afraid to stir up controversy. From last year's training camp, the day after the minor earthquake hit:

[Folk] and deep snapper L.P. Ladouceur were actually at the beach when the earthquake struck, which is troubling on several levels. I don't recall specialists spending mornings at the beach under Bill Parcells, but I certainly don't have anything against it.

It's Romo in Cabo! How could the rest of the press have never picked up on this controversy! Damn anonymity, costing Ladouceur his chance at tabloid gold. He needs a publicity agent - they could have stirred this up big time and L.P. could have got his shot at an ESPN segment. Hey, I'm just trying to get L.P. some press.

Let's give up some love for L.P. Ladouceur.
 

Hoofbite

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Now that he's all talked up, I'm sure he'll botch a dozen or so snaps this season.
 

Chief

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I thought this thread was about the "anonymous" Cowboy source leaking information to the media.
 

Alexander

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Chief;2844325 said:
I thought this thread was about the "anonymous" Cowboy source leaking information to the media.

I don't blame you. We have had quite a few Bobby Carpenter threads recently.
 

Jay

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Hoofbite;2844320 said:
Now that he's all talked up, I'm sure he'll botch a dozen or so snaps this season.

He's not talked about because it is the ultimate compliment of a long snapper to go "under the radar" or never receive any press.

No press or articles about him during the season means he's doing his job. There's obvious exceptions to that rule, but for the most part it rings true.

Glad we got this guy signed until 2013, didn't realize that at all. Though there is one incident involving him that is burnt into my mind, and anytime someone brings his name up, its the first thing I think of.

Any guesses?
 

Hoofbite

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Alexander;2844326 said:
I don't blame you. We have had quite a few Bobby Carpenter threads recently.

Yeah, Bobby gets far more attention than he deserves.

No one who sucks that much should have so much said about him.
 

THUMPER

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He's got a LONG ways to go before he is in the same galaxy as Dale Hellestrae. Helly didn't have a bad snap in 13 seasons! (except for one in a playoff game).

When you consider that the average deep snapper has to snap the ball about 30 feet between his legs without looking and hit a spot smaller than a basketball hoop, well it is essentially the equivalent of hitting thousands of 3-pointers in a row without a miss! And without looking!

If you take an average of 8 deep snaps per game (between punts and extra point attempts) that is 128 times in a 16-game season. Multiply that by 12 (11 years he played for the Cowboys plus 16 playoff games) and you get more than 1530 snaps with only one miss. He also had a couple of years with the Bills prior to coming to the Cowboys without a bad snap.

I deep-snapped when I played semi-pro ball and it is very difficult to do consistently like that. To hit a small target, less than 2-feet in diameter, at high speed, between your legs, without looking, is unbelievably difficult. To do it 1400+ times in a row without a miss (in the regular season) is absolutely AMAZING!!!

It's too bad the NFL has never recognized Hellestrae's accomplishment because he is the greatest deep snapper in history by a HUGE margin.

Ladouceur has been very good but he has a long ways to go yet.
 

jzcowboy

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Alexander;2844326 said:
I don't blame you. We have had quite a few Bobby Carpenter threads recently.
If there was a rat, I still say it's Stanback
 

DallasEast

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THUMPER;2844387 said:
He's got a LONG ways to go before he is in the same galaxy as Dale Hellestrae. Helly didn't have a bad snap in 13 seasons! (except for one in a playoff game).

When you consider that the average deep snapper has to snap the ball about 30 feet between his legs without looking and hit a spot smaller than a basketball hoop, well it is essentially the equivalent of hitting thousands of 3-pointers in a row without a miss! And without looking!

If you take an average of 8 deep snaps per game (between punts and extra point attempts) that is 128 times in a 16-game season. Multiply that by 12 (11 years he played for the Cowboys plus 16 playoff games) and you get more than 1530 snaps with only one miss. He also had a couple of years with the Bills prior to coming to the Cowboys without a bad snap.

I deep-snapped when I played semi-pro ball and it is very difficult to do consistently like that. To hit a small target, less than 2-feet in diameter, at high speed, between your legs, without looking, is unbelievably difficult. To do it 1400+ times in a row without a miss (in the regular season) is absolutely AMAZING!!!

It's too bad the NFL has never recognized Hellestrae's accomplishment because he is the greatest deep snapper in history by a HUGE margin.

Ladouceur has been very good but he has a long ways to go yet.
After all that the long snapper must do in order to deep snap, you forgot to mention his ability to effectively block the tackle lined up over him--without having his head handed to him on a platter. :D I tried deep snapping back in high school and couldn't do it consistently. Like you said, it really is a skill.
 

BAT

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THUMPER;2844387 said:
To hit a small target, less than 2-feet in diameter, at high speed, between your legs, without looking, is unbelievably difficult. To do it 1400+ times in a row without a miss (in the regular season) is absolutely AMAZING!!!


Thanks, I get that all the time. :D


Wait, were you still talking about deep snapping???
 

Nav22

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The least talked-about Cowboy who actually gets significant playing time is...

*drumroll please*

Stephen Bowen.
 

casmith07

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Chief;2844325 said:
I thought this thread was about the "anonymous" Cowboy source leaking information to the media.

we already know it was Brad Johnson.
 

LandryFan

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Jay;2844340 said:
He's not talked about because it is the ultimate compliment of a long snapper to go "under the radar" or never receive any press.

No press or articles about him during the season means he's doing his job. There's obvious exceptions to that rule, but for the most part it rings true.

Glad we got this guy signed until 2013, didn't realize that at all. Though there is one incident involving him that is burnt into my mind, and anytime someone brings his name up, its the first thing I think of.

Any guesses?
I recall a game where I thought Larry Allen was going to body slam kicker Jose Cortez for jumping onto either the holder or the snapper, I can't recall which. Either way, the fault was Cortez's and not the holder or snapper, which is what got Allen fired up. Other than that, I can't recall anything regarding L.P..
 
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